Chiefs and other Indigenous leaders from across Canada attended the 2019 National Coalition of Chiefs (NCC) Energy and Natural Resource Summit on November 4 and 5. More than 400 people attended the event, designed to build networks and common understanding among Chiefs seeking to develop their natural resources and generate economic development, while engaging industry leaders interested in Indigenous engagement and partnership in their projects.
“The social issues that plague First Nations all have poverty at their root. There are not a lot of revenue-generating opportunities for First Nations in northern B.C. that have the potential to make a dent in our communities’ poverty. Oil and gas production, and transmission provides a real solution,” said NCC director Chief Dan George of the Burns Lake Band (Ts’il Kaz Koh First Nation).
“We support this important forum that brings industry and First Nations together as partners, where we can work and succeed together, rather than as adversaries.”
Speakers included Haida Hereditary Chief Roy Jones Jr., Whispering Pines Chief Michael Lebourdais, Peguis Chief Glenn Hudson, Project Reconciliation Executive Chair Delbert Wapass and Lax Kw’alaams Chief John Helin, as well as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Suncor CEO Mark Little and CAPP President Tim McMillan.
